AJ McLean Goes Country With Upbeat New Song 'Back Porch Bottle Service': Premiere

Backstreet Boys may be back, but AJ McLean is ready to go to the back porch.

Just two weeks after BSB released their first single in five years, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” McLean officially kicks off his latest solo venture with a new song titled “Back Porch Bottle Service,” premiering on Billboard today (June 4). The song is part of McLean’s first solo project since 2010’s Have It All, which will see the Backstreet Boy going country — yes, you read that right.

McLean was inspired to pursue this new lane last year after BSB teamed up with Florida Georgia Line for “God, Your Mama and Me,” and especially now that he’s getting to do it on his own, it’s clear the 40-year-old's gravelly voice isn't just meant for pop music. As McLean explained in a previous interview with Billboard, he’s eager to "push the limits of production” with his country material: "I’m coming in to disrupt country...I wanna come in and shake things up."

McLean's raw, soulful sound shines on "Back Porch," which combines his pop background with just the right amount of twang. It's a fun tune about staying in that's a perfect soundtrack for summer — and in McLean's mind, summer lovin'.

"'Back Porch Bottle Service' is all about making time with the one you love," McLean explains to Billboard. "Forget the club, let’s just the make the night about you and me. Let me be your dj, let me be your bartender, let me be your man.”

McLean is set to make the night about the fans on June 5, when he performs "Back Porch Bottle Service" and more of his new country tunes for the first time at a special fan event in Nashville. The event is sold out, but between his solo kickoff and the new BSB single, there is plenty more of AJ action to come. (Backstreet Boys will also be performing on the CMT Music Awards on June 6.)

Listen to "Back Porch Bottle Service" below.